Classic Baked Chicken

Description:
In an attempt to veer away from fried chicken, I found this recipe at simplyrecipes.com for Classic Baked Chicken. This turned out to be a winner; no one, not even Brandon missed having fried chicken.

Ingredients:
12 drumsticks (or other chicken parts)
Olive oil
Salt and pepper (freshly ground)
1/2 cup chicken stock or white wine (I used Pacific Chicken Stock.)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400F.
Pat dry chicken pieces with paper towels.
Pour about two tablespoons olive oil in a roasting pan. Add chicken pieces one at a time and coat each with oil.
Season generously with salt and pepper.
Bake chicken for 30 minutes at 400F, then lower temperature to 350F and cook chicken for 15-30 minutes until done.
(Tip: Check chicken for doneness at this point. Chicken is done when clear juices come out when chicken is pierced with a fork. Make sure not to overcook or chicken might become tough.)
Remove chicken from roasting pan and put in serving platter. Keep warm until gravy is cooked.

To make the gravy:
Put roasting pan over the stove and heat up. Using a spoon or metal spatula, scrape the bottom of pan to remove browned bits.
Pour chicken stock or white wine and keep cooking until syrupy consistency. Taste the gravy and season as needed.
Serve with baked chicken.

Pork Medallions with Gravy

Description:
With the goal of being healthy this year (aka lose weight), Brandon and I are trying to consume less meat in every meal. We still eat pork, particularly pork tenderloins. Pork tenderloin is one of the leanest meats available, comparable to chicken breast. It's a bit pricier but it's tender and healthier so it is worth it. Here is a very simple recipe for pan-fried pork tenderloins which I fancily call pork medallions. (I got the recipe from America's Test Kitchen.) The gravy is a nice extra that the kids just love so I always serve it with this dish.

Ingredients:
1 piece pork tenderloin
Salt and pepper

Gravy:
Pan with browned bits from cooking the pork
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon flour
1 cup broth, chicken or pork
Worcestershire sauce


Directions:
Remove the white membrane from the tenderloin then cut into half inch rounds.
Pat dry and season with salt and pepper on both sides.
Add a little oil just to coat the pan and wait until hot and the oil shimmers.
Place the tenderloins and cook each side for 80 seconds. (I even use a timer for this.)
Place on a plate and serve with gravy.
Tip: Flip the tenderloins using a tong to keep the brown color of the meat.

For the gravy:
Using the same pan for cooking the tenderloins, add butter and swirl it around to melt. Add the flour and cook very shortly, mixing briskly.
Slowly add the stock while scraping the bottom of the pan.
Continue cooking until gravy thickens, whisking everything to ensure there are no lumps.
Add worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper to taste.

Mushroom Gravy

Description:
From the pan drippings from cooking the steak, you can make a most delightful gravy.

Ingredients:
Oil and drippings from cooking steak
2 Tbsps. butter, unsalted
3 cups fresh mushrooms, chopped (I used button and portabella)
2 Tbsps. flour
2 cups beef broth, hot (You can make instant beef broth by dissolving 1 beef bouillon cube in a liter of boiling water.)

Directions:
Using the same pan from cooking the steaks, add the butter and swirl until it melts. Scrape the bottom of the pan to remove the flavorful brown bits from the beef. Add the mushroom and cook until soft. Add the flour and cook until it turns light brown. Gradually add the beef broth while continually stirring. Season as you like. Cook until smooth and thick.